Traditions
by ioanhoratio
Summary: Messer Family Christmas; traditions old & new. Just some family fluff because that's all I want for Christmas!
1. Chapter 1

**Traditions**

**Part 1 of 3: T'was the Night**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**Yes, another Christmas story, but I couldn't resist. How else can we enjoy a DL Christmas? (For afrozenheart412-Merry Christmas!)**

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"Lucy!" Danny called for what felt like the millionth time, "Get away from the Christmas tree."

Lucy immediately dropped her chubby hands from around the bright, red ball that was hanging from a limb close to the bottom. She swayed slightly, then finding her balance on her short legs, walked over to where her father sat on the couch. She wedged herself between his knees and looked up at him with her drowsy, blue eyes.

"Peety Daddee," she told him, her tone pleading.

Danny pushed her blonde bangs away from her face affectionately, but firmly maintained, "I know it's pretty baby, but it's not a toy for Lucy to play with. It's something we look at, k?"

Lucy nodded her dramatically, but Danny knew that she was not comprehending. Her childish mind simply was drawn to the twinkling and shining of the tree. It had been a lot easier last year when she was barely crawling and unable to reach the tree. This year was a whole new experience, having to constantly watch her. They'd already lost three ornaments thanks to Lucy's grabbing and tugging.

"No duching," Lucy repeated-a phrase she had heard quiet often recently.

"That's right, no touching," Danny affirmed, pulling Lucy up into his lap. She tucked her little body against his and rested her face against her favorite spot, just under his chin. He could tell she was getting tired. She was a sweet, loving child, but an extremely active one who usually reserved all her cuddling and snuggling for bedtime. She absently reached a hand up and lazily ran it back and forth against his cheek, another ritual that was common when she was tired. She liked the scruffy feeling of his 5 o'clock shadow, and Danny couldn't believe how much he treasured the small sign of affection. It was their thing.

They sat for a moment, both distracted by the images on the TV, some Christmas cartoon special, but it wasn't long before Lucy asked, "Momma?"

"Momma'll be home soon," he promised, glancing at the clock. It was nearly a half hour passed Lucy's bedtime, but Lindsay had begged him to keep her up. It was Christmas Eve, and Lindsay had been held up at work, then stuck in holiday traffic. She had wanted to eat dinner together, sing a few carols, bake some cookies and tease Lucy about Santa visiting. At this point they'd be lucky to get a song in before Lucy nodded off.

"Duce, Dad-ee?" Lucy asked suddenly.

"Nah, baby girl. It's too late for juice. You can have water or a little bit of milk."

"Tacolet?"

Danny shook his head at his daughter's persistence. "No, not chocolate milk, only regular, or water."

Lucy thought for a moment. "Milt pees."

Danny easily stood, his grip on Lucy tight, as he made his way into the kitchen. With the skill born from repetition, Danny maintained a hold on his daughter while taking the milk out of the refrigerator, grabbing a sippy cup, pouring the milk into the cup and locking the top in place. He handed the cup to Lucy, who immediately began drinking the cold liquid.

Danny hoped it would help her stay awake a little bit longer. She'd been bathed and dressed in her purple footie pajamas and Danny knew that if she was up much longer she would just pass out and that would make for one cranky baby girl on Christmas. He'd just made the decision to give Lindsay 10 more minutes when he heard the front door open.

Lucy pulled her lips from the spout on the cup and gasped with pleasure. "Momma 'ome!"

"Momma's home!" Danny agreed enthusiastically, and the pair trotted into the living room.

"Momma!" Lucy called when she saw her mother, who had just finished taking of her shoes and dropping her bag.

"Oh!" Lindsay cried happily, "You kept her up." She pulled Lucy into her arms and cuddled her daughter close, ignoring the tiny stream of milk that ran from the upturned cup onto her shirt. Danny took the cup from his daughter, and smiled at the scene, glad he had decided to keep Lucy awake. The look of delight that had passed between mother and daughter had made dealing with a tired toddler worth it.

"Yeah, she's awake, but just barely," Danny said, indicating how Lucy's head continued to rest against Lindsay's shoulder.

Lindsay gave an understanding frown. "Yeah," she breathed sadly, her disappointment apparent.

She rallied though, and turning towards Lucy bedroom called, "Come on Daddy, we can get at least one tradition in."

Danny didn't hesitate to follow, and soon he and Lindsay were lying on Lucy's tiny bed with their daughter wedged between them. Before getting in bed, Lindsay had grabbed a book from Lucy's shelf and handed it to Danny.

"A'right," Danny began, "Mommy, you comfy?"

"Yep," Lindsay answered.

"Lucy, you comfy?" he asked his daughter.

"Yep," she mimicked, then asked, "Dad-ee oo 'umfy?"

He wiggled around dramatically causing Lucy to giggle, but then finally answered, "Yep." He held the book up so that everyone could see the pictures and then in his deep, gravelly voice started to read, "T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse..."

The parents shared the responsibility of ooh-ing and ah-ing at all the right places, they added sound effects, and funny voices, and wove a story of magic and wonder for their little girl. Lucy listened enraptured by the beauty of it all.

Soon the story ended, and goodnight kisses and I-love-you's were passed around, but neither adult made a move. They lay smiling at each other, and shared knowing looks as they watched their miracle give several huge yawns. It wasn't long before Lucy's eyes stopped fluttering, and her breathing evened out.

"She is so beautiful," Lindsay whispered, reaching a hand passed Lucy's head. Danny immediately responded, by linking his fingers with hers. "Watching her sleep is one of my favorite things to do."

"Yeah," Danny agreed softly, his thumb slowly rubbing against the back of her hand. "I think she looks the most like you when she's asleep."

Lindsay's response was cut off by her own yawn.

Danny gave a chuckle. "Come on Montana. If we don't get up, we'll both fall asleep, an' then how're we gonna explain to Lucy that Santa forgot to wrap all 'er presents."

With a groan Lindsay rolled away from her daughter, careful not to cause to much disruption to Lucy's slumber. She stood and stretch her arm out to Danny. He too, gingerly disentangled himself from the blankets and pillows and allowed Lindsay to pull him up.

Once standing he wrapped his arms around his wife, and they couldn't resist taking another moment to gaze at the product of their love for each other. Before leaving the room, Lindsay clicked on Lucy's nigh light and Danny flipped the big light off.

"We have so many presents to wrap," Lindsay complained, making her way into the living room.

"You were the one who wanted to wait until tonight," Danny pointed out.

With a shrug Lindsay responded, "Well, it's tradition."

Danny heard the wistfulness in her voice. "I'm sorry tonight didn't turn out the way you wanted."

Lindsay gave him a small, appreciative smile. "Yeah, getting stuck at work, and then in stop and go traffic was _not_ how I wanted to spend the evening. I was really excited show Lucy all the things I did when I was a little girl; baking cookies, unwrapping one present, singing carols, ya know?"

Danny nodded. "I liked getting to read her that story. That's a good tradition. We should do that every year."

Lindsay's smile grew. "My Dad would read that to us every year. It's a memory I treasure, and I love that Lucy is going to have that with you."

Danny beamed. "Come on, let start wrapping these gifts and you can tell me about cuttin' your own tree or making gifts out of straw and a tomato or whatever else your other Christmas traditions were growing up in Montana."

She rolled her eyes but eagerly answered with, "And you can tell me about growing up with Christmas in New York."

Danny happily indulged her tone. Since Shane Casey's terrorizing of their family it had been a difficult time for Lindsay. He was contented by the easy smile on her face, and her tension-less eyes. He would tell her anything she wanted to hear, as long as it kept that look on her face.

**End Part 1**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Traditions**

**Part 2 of 3: All I want **

**Special Thanks to: webdlfan (x2 LOL!), daytimedream, Juliab24, jennifer32485, Ryhlee, tinihasbi, afrozenheart412, Sweet LIL loz, Lindsay1234, nolongerstrong. I really love and appreciated the reviews! Thank you so much!  
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"J"you eat?" Danny asked as they made their way into the living room.

Lindsay shrugged. "If you count a pack of crackers."

"I don't, especially when it comes to your skinny ass," Danny said, ignoring the punch in his arm from his wife. "Come on. I got spaghetti made."

"Lucy wanted noodles huh?" It was their daughter's favorite meal.

"She loves her daddy's cooking," Danny bragged, grabbing Lindsay's hand and tugging her towards the kitchen.

Ten minutes later they sat at the table, Lindsay eating her first helping of spaghetti for the night and Danny his second.

"Tonight sucked, Danny," Lindsay observed morosely as she spun a forkful of noodles around in the sauce.

Swallowing a mouthful of food, Danny commented, "I know."

"I mean it really sucked," Lindsay lamented. "I just couldn't get away. I'm glad we got a break in the case but why did it have to be just before my shift was set to end? It just sucks that I drew the short straw this year."

Danny nodded. He knew she was disappointed, but there seemed to be something deeper in her voice. "Don't worry about it, babe. We've got all day tomorrow and there are gonna be a lot more Christmas Eves in the future."

"Yeah," Lindsay sighed.

Soon they had finished their meal and were lugging bags of toys from their bedroom closet and setting up shop in the floor.

"A'right, I seriously think we got enough here to open our own Toys-R-Us," Danny whined as he dropped the last bag.

Lindsay couldn't help but agree. "We may have gone a little overboard."

"I ain't wrappin' alla this tonight," Danny grumbled, "Her birthday's in a few months. I say we take 4 or 5 of these gifts, shove 'em back in the closet and give 'em to her on her birthday."

Surveying the size of the stash, Lindsay laughed. "Fine, but what are you going to do if in a couple of months she doesn't like Cinderella anymore?" She indicated the princess themed gifts.

Danny groaned as an endless parade of Disney princesses danced across his future. He just shook his head, and grabbed a bag, shoving a few of the toys into it.

Lindsay pulled out one of their favorite Christmas CDs and turned the stereo on, filling the room with soft music. The couple hummed and sang along as they began wrapping gifts.

"Did you ever find that box of ornaments?" Danny asked as he unrolled another square of paper.

Lindsay shook her head. There had been a box of Christmas supplies that they hadn't been able to locate, which had Lindsay's favorite Nativity set in it, and the icicle shaped ornaments. "No, I can only assume it got misplaced, lost, or left at the old apartment."

Danny frowned. He could hear the frustration in her tone. "It's not a big deal. We can replace the stuff." He watched Lindsay rather forcefully cut strips of ribbon and added, "But that's not the point is it?"

"We shouldn't have had to worry about moving," Lindsay snapped, "I couldn't bring myself to go back to that apartment, and we lost part of our Christmas because other people had to help us move."

Danny was a little confused by her logic and knew his face expressed that.

She sighed and dropped the ribbon. "I guess I'm not making sense."

Danny shook his head. "Not really babe, but does this have anything to do with you going Christmas crazy?"

"I haven't gone Christmas crazy," Lindsay defended.

"Hand me the tape," Danny said, "and yes you have. Tonight you wanted to bake cookies, make ornaments, open a gift, sing carols, read that Christmas book, drink hot chocolate, decorate stockings..."

"Ok," Lindsay interrupted, "I get it. So I wanted to have a little holiday cheer."

"A little? Babe, If Santa himself walked through the door he wouldn't be able to compete with you," Danny observed. "You weren't like this last year."

Lindsay frowned, her hand pausing in mid-air as she offered the tape to him. "Well, Lucy's older this year. We can do more."

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Danny pressed.

Lindsay resumed cutting and curling the ribbon, but quietly answered, "Maybe not."

Danny remained silent, the light strains of music still swirling around them. He knew he had pushed hard enough, Lindsay would now have to chose to talk to him.

"I guess I just wanted this to be a good memory for Lucy," Lindsay finally admitted. "I don't want her to remember that man. I don't want her to remember what I did. I want her to remember good things."

"Linds," Danny started, but she cut him off.

"She's been through so much this year, and moving to a new home wasn't easy for her. I want to make sure she knows everything is ok, to keep things light and fun. I know what bad memories can do and...I just...I want her to remember me as the mom she baked cookies with, not the mom who shot and killed a man in front of her," Lindsay finished, her hands still working mindlessly on the ribbon.

Danny let out a puff of air. He shoved the now completely wrapped present under the tree and grabbed a fairy sticker book, stalling long enough to think of the words he needed to say. "Lucy is goin' to remember that no matter what, her mom was there for her. She's gonna remember how much you love her, how you would do anything for her, and how important she is to you. She doesn't need 15 traditions at Christmas time to know that. You show her every day," Danny assured her. "An' tomorrow mornin' she's gonna flip her lid when she sees all this is for her. But Linds, baby, we gotta be careful. I'm not gonna lecture you, 'cause you know better than anyone how life changes after a tragedy, an' I know you want to make sure Lucy feels loved and protected, but how did you feel when people treated you with kid gloves, or patronized you, or gave you special treatment?"

Lindsay finished tapping down the ribbon on a rather large present; ribbon her daughter would pay no heed to as she ripped away the paper. "It made me angry," she finally told him, knowing he already knew the answer. "I know Danny, I really do, but that doesn't change how desperate I feel right now. I want this to be a wonderful time of year for her. I loved it growing up. We'd go sledding, and caroling, and cut our own tree. It was such a happy time of year for me, even after...after my friends were gone. I knew I could look forward to this time of year and feel a bit of joy."

Danny handed her the ream of wrapping paper so she could start on another present. "First of all, Lucy isn't you, and what happened to you, didn't happen to her. I'm not minimizin' what Lucy's been through, but what happened to you doesn't equal what happened to her. I know you're tryin' to compensate for Shane Casey, but I don't think you're able to separate the levels of compensation."

It was Lindsay's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that you are trying to take away Lucy's pain, but the only gauge you have to go by is your own experiences. The level of pain you are tryin' to save her from isn't as high as you think it is. Back then you needed Christmas to feel joy, but Lucy doesn't. She feels happiness every day. We can still make this time of year special for her, but you need to relax a bit babe, a'right?"

Lindsay was quiet for a moment, then sheepishly pointed out, "I have gone a little overboard, haven't I?"

"There are worse things you could freak out over," Danny said, trying to keep her from feeling embarrassed. "Too much Christmas isn't necessarily a bad thing, I jus' wanna make sure you know you don't _have_ to go to such lengths."

Lindsay smiled at him, her big toothy smile that always made him feel tingly inside. He never could resist that smile, and he felt his own lips spreading into a grin. "I love you."

"I love you," she replied.

They wrapped more presents, turning the conversation to lighter territory as they argued over the best Christmas movie.

"How can you not like _A Christmas Story_?" Danny demanded, feigning shock. "The movies a classic."

Lindsay laughed. "Sorry to break your heart, but I never liked it."

"Don't let my Ma hear that, she thinks it's hilarious."

"Oh, that reminds me, your Mom called me today," Lindsay told him, reaching for the scissors.

"What'd she want?"

"She wanted to know what to get you for Christmas."

"What'd ya tell 'er?" Danny asked as he pulled off a piece of tape.

"I told her you didn't need anything," Lindsay answered off-handedly.

"What?" Danny burst, "Why'd ya do that? I coulda got somethin' nice."

Lindsay again laughed at him. "You are such a brat sometimes."

"What?" Danny cried indignant, "They were crappy parents growin' up, an' now they like to make up for it by givin' us free babysitting and buyin' us awesome stuff. Who am I to stand in their way?"

Lindsay threw a bow at Danny, who caught it easily and with a smile, peeled off the back and stretched over the mess of wrapping paper to stick it on her head.

"Hey!" She reached up to pull it out of her hair, but Danny stopped her by grabbing her hand and tugging hard. Lindsay lost her balance and pitched forward towards Danny. He leaned back and the pair landed in a jumble of limbs, Lindsay's body on top of Danny's, their faces inches apart.

Danny wrapped his arms around her, pinning her in place. He lifted his head and sang softly into her ear, "All I want for Christmas is you."

Lindsay didn't hesitate to crush her lips against his.

"I know a tradition we can start," Danny panted, once they broke for air.

"Danny, sex on Christmas Eve does not count as a tradition," Lindsay reasoned.

"Says who?" Danny challenged, rolling them over so he rested on top of her, his arousal pressing against her stomach. "I got my own way of spreading Christmas cheer."

"Danny!" Lindsay giggled, her earlier troubles forgotten as her husband began to unwrapped his Christmas present.

**End Part 2**

**Thanks for reading!**


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